Minnesota National Guard deployment not tied to Ukraine

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - More than 300 members of the Minnesota National Guard’s Duluth-based 148th Fighter Wing will deploy this spring to U.S. Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT) missions in the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area.

Members of the 148th and their F-16s will conduct mission to secure and stabilize the CENTCOM area.

This deployment is not the result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the National Guard confirmed. This is a regularly-scheduled Air Expeditionary Force deployment for the 148th Fighter Wing. 

In 2021, the 148th Fighter Wing helped with everything from President Joe Biden’s inauguration to northern Minnesota wildfire suppression to COVID-19 pandemic support.

Currently, the 148th Fighter Wing has more than 100 Airmen deployed supporting USCENTCOM and U.S. Africa Command missions. The Wing is also supporting Afghan personnel in their transition to their new life in the U.S.